In recent reading of Genesis I was struck by how Abraham's calling and walk with God are portrayed. Although he was given great material wealth throughout his life, he was not spared hardship. Made to wait until old age to see th e son of promise, there were serious domestic problems and even a couple of famines. We are not told that God gave Abraham all the answers or made life easy in every way. It's interesting to me that God used naturally-occuring adversity as well as those that arose from his own doubt, fear and sin to make Abraham... Continue reading

Once while participating in a Bible study over a decade ago the group leader said he believed that elders should only be chosen from among those who don't seek to be elders. He said that their Christ-like character and humility should be enough to make people want to have them as elders, and that he wouldn't care to have a man in that position who actually sought it. To his opinion I responded from 1 Timothy 3:1, "Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task" (NIV). Understanding "overseer" to be interchangeable with "elder"... Continue reading

If you're reading 1st Corinthians, go back and read Acts 18 first. It explains how the church was planted in Corinth by Paul. He worked there making tents alongside Priscilla and Aquila, debated in the synogogue and eventually turned to the Gentiles of the city with the Gospel. There's more, but you should really read it for yourself, then read 1st Corinthians. Continue reading

For over a week I've been reading, re-reading and studying portions of 1st Corinthians. Though I should be very familiar with this book after years as a Christian, including time training for my Bachelor of Ministry degree, I'm finding now that I'm reading it with new eyes. Specifically, I'm not trying to explain it away or make it fit my preconceived ideas. How successful I'm being is hard to measure (I'm not very objective where I'm concerned), much is surprising me. Specifically, as someone who left the Roman Catholic Church in pursuit of a more biblical faith, in addition to... Continue reading

"Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?" - 1 Corinthians 9:13 NIV I've had an interesting time this week reading 1 Corinthians slowly, going back and re-reading parts of it several times. My perspective has changed a great deal from what it was several years ago, and now I'm seeing things I never noticed before. Some of them are unsettling, and others just interesting (at least to me). One point of interest was the verse... Continue reading

60 Minutes did a profile on Brazil, which is a bit like a watered down version of Brazil on the Rise aimed at Americans who know almost nothing about South America. It's also a glowing review of Lula and his government and Eike Batista and his projects, as well as evidence of one CBS cameraman's...

Beautifully articulated, as only Brueggemann can: An Invitation to Justice from The Justice Conference on Vimeo. (More info on The Justice Conference here. h/t to Brian McLaren) UPDATE: I can't tell you how many times I've played this today. It's stunning. I also tweeted this earlier today, in ...

"Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for 'The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.'" - 1 Corinthians 10:25 NIV "What in fact is the pouring out of God's love through Jesus Christ on the whole of humankind has come to be viewed as the privileged possession of some. Instead of channels of grace, congregations have come to be viewed as Christic health spas, where needy, but sensible, people may come to soothe their earthly discomforts and heighten their spiritual well-being." David Watson in God Does Not Foreclose h/t to The Blind Begger... Continue reading

I tend to see Dr. Michio Kaku as more of a showman than anything else. Lots of razzle-dazzle speculation. Might as well hang out in the religion and philosophy sections of the bookstore...or just read something else.
I definitely relate to the feeling of having a limited skill set that doesn't give much to fall back on. Wish I had realized that when I was 20.

When I was 19 or 20, I realized with some alarm that my knowledge and skill set was very specialized and very limited. I knew a lot about acting, filmmaking, and just about every other practical aspect of the entertainment industry, but I was beginning to feel like I didn't have anything to fall...